UCSD Cross-Country Teams Glide to Victory

The UC San Diego men’s and women’s cross-country teams captured the NCAA Division III Western Regionals Saturday at Mills College. The UCSD women defeated Occidental, 32-39, by placing five runners in the top nine. Vivian Reza (19:49), Karen Hinkle (19:58) and Wafa Hana (20:11) finished fourth through sixth, and Tracy Cole (20:24) and Kathleen Carl (20:55) took eighth and ninth. The Tritons’ Jennifer Cullen placed 21st and Karen Longyear was 25th.

The UCSD men walloped Occidental, 33-63, behind freshman J.J. Castner’s third-place finish in 27:04 and the sixth through ninth-place finishes of Stefan Wynn (27:11), Matthew Ringer (27:20), Nate Johnson (27:22) and Jeff Hernandez (27:25).

Both Triton teams advance to Saturday’s NCAA Division III Championships in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

SOCCER

UCSD lost to SUNY Cortland, 4-3, on penalty kicks, in the NCAA Division III women’s semifinals at Mary Washington College in Fredricksburg, Va. The Tritons (12-2-3), who were outshot 22-6, and Cortland (16-2-3) did not score in regulation.

TENNIS

University of San Diego’s Julie McKeon advanced to the finals in both the singles and doubles at the Rolex Southern California Women’s Tennis Championships at UC Irvine. McKeon defeated UCLA’s Jenny Hilt in the singles semifinals 3-6, 6-4, 6-0, and with USD teammate Laura Richards scored a 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 victory over USC’s Petra Schmitt and Suzie Italiano.

McKeon will meet former Bonita Vista High standout Cammie Foley in the finals. Foley defeated Schmitt in three sets.

WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL

Pepperdine defeated visiting USD, 15-7, 17-15, 15-7, in West Coast Conference action. Jennifer Wrightson led the Toreros (17-13, 8-6) with 13 kills. Pepperdine improved to 11-15, 7-4.

FOOTBALL

Palomar College, which had two reserve linebackers, Blaine Binkley and Chris Williams, die in an automobile accident Thursday, won an emotional Mission Conference contest at Southwestern. The Comets (8-1, 2-0), ranked 12th nationally, led 49-7 with 8:11 left in the third quarter. Southwestern is 1-8, 0-2.

Torrey Pines’ Tom Luginbill completed 23 of 32 passes for 281 yards and two touchdowns; Fallbrook’s Tony Burton rushed 16 times for 123 yards and two touchdowns; and Rancho Buena Vista’s Markeith Ross rushed 18 times for 118 yards and two touchdowns.

BASEBALL

Padre minor leaguers dropped a 4-2 decision to the Taichung City Elephants, the Taiwan League champion, in front of the largest crowd of their six-game Asian tour, a capacity crowd of nearly 13,000. The Padres are 0-3-1 on the tour.

The Padres scored twice in the first inning. Lance Painter, on a 50-pitch limit by Manager Tom Gamboa, pitched into the fourth inning and left with a lead. Scott Sanders, on the Padres’ expansion protection list, will be the starting pitcher today in Taipei.